Attendees of the 26th Symposium of the International Colour Vision Society, Heraklion, Crete, Greece, 1–5 July 2022

The recent global pandemic brought many interruptions to our lives, affecting scientific research and travel. However, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant closures of human subject research labs, the field of color vision has continued to thrive and expand. This feature issue of The Journal of the Optical Society of America A showcases the vitality of the field, presenting a diverse collection of 28 articles covering the latest advances in color vision research, from perception and psychophysics to physiology, functional imaging, genetics, color vision deficiencies, and computational modeling.

Many of the papers in this feature issue were first presented at the 26th Symposium of the International Colour Vision Society (ICVS), held on the Greek island of Crete, in July 2022. This event attracted nearly 100 scientists from 22 countries and provided a forum for exchanging ideas and new findings. We extend our gratitude to the symposium organizers: Thanasis Panorgias (Chair), Maria Makridaki, Dimitris Mylonas, Sotiris Plainis, Neil R. Parry, and John S. Werner. We also thank the scientific committee: Thanasis Panorgias (Chair), Claudia Feitosa-Santana, Jasna Martinovic, Maureen Neitz, Michael Webster, and Miltiadis Tsilibaris, as well as the New England College of Optometry and the University of Crete for their support and hospitality.

The ICVS is an inclusive Society, welcoming individuals at all stages of their careers, including students. We cordially invite all those interested in color vision to join us at the next Biennial Symposium in 2024, to be held in Ljubljana, Slovenia. To learn more about the society and upcoming events, please visit https://www.icvs.info.

2022 Verriest Medalist

The 2022 Verriest Medal was awarded to Professor Paul Martin at the 26th Biennial Symposium of the International Colour Vision Society, held in Heraklion, Greece. The award was established in 1991 in memory of the founder of the Society, Dr. Guy Verriest, and honors outstanding contributions in the field of color vision.

Professor Martin conducted his doctoral research in physiology at the University of Sydney, Australia, and then held postdoctoral fellowships in Germany at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen and the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt. Here he commenced his studies on the visual system of primates. In 1992, he returned to the University of Sydney, where he rose to the rank of associate professor in the Department of Physiology before moving in 2003 to the University of Melbourne as a Professorial Research Fellow and Director of Research in the Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences. He returned to the University of Sydney in 2010, where he is Professor of Experimental Ophthalmology.

Professor Martin’s work concentrates on early visual processing of primates. His work on visual signals in magno-, parvo-, and konio-cells in the primate retina and lateral geniculate nucleus is internationally acclaimed and highly influential. The significance of his scientific advances is amplified by his talent for presenting complex results in an easily understood manner for scientific and non-scientific audiences alike. He has generously served on boards of many funding organizations, in editorial positions at Visual Neuroscience and Vision Research, and on the ICVS Board of Directors. A prolific mentor, he has trained more than 25 Ph.D. students and postdoctoral researchers. A summary of Dr. Martin’s research is the lead article of this feature issue.

Professor Paul Martin